Home Detention Bid To Cut Prison Numbers

SHERIFF Drummond’s criticism has come just months after the Scottish Government unveiled plans to release more criminals to ease pressure on jails, despite claims this would undermine faith in sentencing.

The Scotsman revealed in March how eight of Scotland’s 14 jails were overcrowded, five at “critical” level.

But ministers want to release serious criminals from prison after serving less than half their sentences. Currently, those jailed for less than four years are automatically released midway through their sentence.

Under the home detention curfew (HDC) scheme, they can be released with an electronic tag up to four and a half months earlier.

The SNP wants to extend the HDC scheme to long-term prisoners assessed to be safe. Currently, they can also be released halfway through their sentence. Under the new plan, a prisoner serving a six-year sentence could be released after two years and six months.